Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Republicans Should Try Doing Something Popular

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 Liberty Alliance. 
Ann Coulter  "When the Titanic struck an iceberg, the crew might have rushed to the storeroom, grabbed the materials and spruced up the ship with a shiny new coat of paint. Women in their beautiful fur coats could stand on deck, admiring the lustrous sheen, as everyone pointed to it saying, "What a thing of beauty!" 

"The new paint job would have "succeeded" to the extent that it would make the Titanic more lovely, but today we would recognize that it might have been kind of beside the point. 

"Word has now reached us that congressional Republicans have passed tax reform. Everyone is standing around admiring the lustrous sheen, pointing to it and saying, "what a thing of beauty!" 

"The iceberg is immigration and the Titanic is our country. 

"Picking the battleground on which to fight is one of the most important advantages the ruling party has. But instead of choosing the fights that make Republicans heroes and Democrats swine, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have decided to lead with the GOP's least popular ideas. 

"They're being bullied by rent-seekers, hucksters and people who don't have America's self-interest as their No. 1 concern -- or in their top 20 concerns. Cheap labor advocates don't actively hate America, like university professors do. They're just indifferent to it. We wish you the best of luck getting re-elected, but in the meantime, we need more foreign workers. " . . .

Congressional Republicans: What if we start impeaching judges who block enforcement of immigration laws? 
YES! Start right away. 
Congressional Republicans: Should we earmark specific funds for a border wall, even though the president has full authority as commander in chief to build a wall without us? 
You should have done this Jan. 21. Hold lots of votes. Get Democrats on the record voting against a wall. 
Congressional Republicans: Should we end the diversity lottery and chain migration policies that require us to take the rest of the world's losers? 
YES! Great idea! 

Watch Ted Kennedy's Life Get Derailed in Exclusive Chappaquiddick Trailer

People Movies  Nearly five decades ago, on July 18, 1969, a car went off the Dike Bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick. The driver, Ted Kennedy escaped. His 28-year-old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, did not.

"An upcoming movie, Chappaquiddick, attempts to tell the story of what happened that night and why it took Kennedy some ten hours to report the accident to the local Edgartown police — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer and teaser poster!



"The film, directed by John Curran, stars Jason Clarke as Senator Kennedy, Kate Mara as Kopechne, and Bruce Dern as Ted’s father Joe Kennedy. It’s based on the 1969 inquest into the accident." . . .


"The result is a haunting look back into the mystery that surrounds that night when a group of six women who had worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential bid, and six men, including Ted Kennedy, gathered for a party at a rented cottage on the island for a reunion party and ended in Kopechne’s death by drowning.
"Kennedy, who claimed he made a wrong turn and accidentally drove off the bridge late at night, said that he tried to save Kopechne, who was trapped inside the car" . . .

Juanita Broaddrick: The Original #MeToo

"Juanita Broaddrick, in a detailed interview with Dave Sussman of Whiskey Politics sheds light on the depraved and despicable nature of the Clinton relationship."

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Michael P. Ramirez  " December 19, 2017 Juanita Broaddrick joins Dave at Whiskey Politics for an in-depth, transparent and honest discussion about her experience in 1978 that many had discounted for decades, but now with the #MeToo movement, even the liberal media are coming around including the New York Times which recently stated “We should look clearly at the credible evidence that Juanita Broaddrick told the truth when she accused Clinton of raping her.”

"This wide-ranging interview discusses her experience, the aftermath, her participation in the 2016 election and her feelings seeing so many women now come forward accusing powerful men of sexual abuse. We cover the Time Magazine snub toward her, the media, how Hillary Clinton approached her and a chilling side of Bill Clinton that almost no one else has ever seen. Juanita also discusses Donald Trump, Roy Moore and the pay-for-play being reported about Lisa Bloom.

"Juanita’s new book, to be released on January 3rd, 2018 You’d Better Put Some Ice On That; How I survived being Raped by Bill Clinton can be found at JuanitaBroadderick.com.
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to Whiskey Politics audio podcast iTunesStitcher or GooglePlay where your 5-star rating would be appreciated! Whiskey Politics is also on Facebook and Dave can be followed on Twitter.

Huckabee Sanders Tells Dem Rep to Stop Spreading False Info and Do His Job


Townhall  "White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders regretted this week that Democrats didn't make an effort to participate in tax reform. It seems to be a pattern this year. You remember the infamous photoshoot of President Trump sitting between two empty chairs last month after top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi bowed out of the meeting. They eventually did meet, one day before the government shutdown deadline. 
"Fed up with the partisan politics, Sanders said on Fox News that Democrats should have been "begging" to work with them on tax reform for the benefit of the American people.
"The Hill misquoted her. In their original tweet, the outlet suggested that Sanders had "begged" Democrats to help them on the bill. They later updated with the correct language.
. . . Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) jumped on the initial, inaccurate headline. In a (now-deleted) tweet, Lieu wrote, "Dear @PressSec: You don't serve in Congress. I do. And I can say with absolute certainty that you are lying."
 "Other Democrats called Sanders out for lying, insisting they never received one call or email from the White House.
Sanders responded to Lieu with a fact check.

Dear @tedlieu - I don’t serve in Congress, but I can read. If you had read the story, not an incorrect tweet, you would see that what I said was Dems should be begging to help Americans keep more of their money. You should spend less time tweeting, more time doing your job. https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/943196180716183553 

William A. Jacobson: My interview about the landmark case involving religious freedom and free speech.

Legal Insurrection  "I have to admit, I fell asleep at the baker’s wheel.

"Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission was argued to the Supreme Court earlier this month and I, didn’t cover it. Not out of lack of interest, but more feeling like we’re chasing a swarm of daily dust ups created by (1) Trump Derangement Syndrome in all its many and varied forms, (2) Trump on Twitter, (3) media reacting to Trump on Twitter, (4) Alabama, (5) War on Women and #MeTwo, (6) Men at Work, (7) the End of the World. Plus, it was end of the semester, and things were busy.
. . . 
"This video from The Daily Signal has good background on the Cakeshop owner, and the controversy:"


. . . Justice Neil Gorsuch, who until recently lived in Colorado, seemed to object to part of the state’s order in Phillips’ case, which required him to provide “comprehensive training” to his employees. Why wouldn’t the training be compelled speech, Gorsuch asked, when it would require Phillips to tell his staff that his Christian beliefs are discriminatory?
"This is hopeful, but I’m not celebrating until we get the Opinion. Remember John Roberts in Obamacare I?
"The oral argument full transcript is here.  Here is the full audio:

How about these refusals from Muslim bakeries, whom I feel were also exercising their right to refuse a message they opposed? 


#MeToo hysteria may have met its match


Smiley is not taking this lying down, and has made it clear that he will resort to litigation if necessary to regain his plum position and his reputation. 
Thomas Lifson  "Sooner or later the fever will break when it comes to the hysteria consuming politics with unverified charges sufficient to destroy careers, and feminist thought-leaders (such as they are) expressing indifference to the fate of innocent men being caught up. Already, two Democrat Senators, one a member of the Judiciary Committee, have expressed regret over Al Franken being forced to promise to resign, sometime, at a date to be determined, without due process. The Senate Ethics Committee operates in secret, but a finding that no proof exists that Franken assaulted anyone could trigger a wave of support for keeping him among Senate Democrats.


"But another important case, that of Tavis Smiley, could also be a trigger for the fever breaking. Although I agree with him on few matters, I think the way Smiley was handled by PBS is a disgrace.  Smiley was terminated from his longtime gig at PBS, hosting a nightly talk show there, without being able to confront his accusers, or even know the nature of the accusations against him. This violates every pillar of due process, and is unfair in the face of it." . . .
Portion of Smiley's interview with Tucker Carlson:
What else are you going to meet people? Our business is full of people, producers and talk show host who met on the job. Millions of Americans who met their spouse at work. I don’t think I have the right to tell people who to date. The problem here is that we are starting to criminalize legitimate relationships between consenting adults and that’s a real problem for me. And if this does in fact end up in court, millions of taxpayer dollars are going to be spent by pbs to defend itself and I don’t think the taxpayers want their money spent that way.

What Might Civil War Be Like?



E.M. Cadwaladr  "The thought of Civil War has been in the minds of many people lately, on both sides of the political and cultural divide. This is not a thing to be wished for, though no one should kid themselves into believing it’s impossible either. Let us take a sober look at what such a conflict might entail."
. . . 
"Given an absence of legitimate government and the friction of proximity, ordinary people can be moved to settle grievances by killing one another without the need for governments to egg them on.
"Some dimensions of a future civil war would be, I think, largely unprecedented. When lesser countries have imploded in violence in recent times, they have done so with most of the world around them still intact. There were other nations to offer aid, assistance and intervention, welcome or unwelcome. There were places for refugees to go. The collapse of the world’s remaining superpower would take much of the world down with it. A global economic crisis would be inevitable. The withdrawal of American forces from bases across the world to fight at home would also create a power vacuum that others, even under economic strain, would be tempted to exploit. Whichever side gained control of our nuclear arsenal, our status as a nuclear power would probably persuade other nations not to interfere in our conflict militarily, but the collapse of trade alone would produce crippling effects that would be hard to overestimate. Many components for products our manufacturing sector makes are globally sourced. Add to this the breakdown of our transportation system, dependent on oil and transecting one new front line after another. The internet would fail. It is a frail enough now. Financial systems would fail. What happens if the banks find half their assets suddenly in hostile territory?" . . .

American Silliness: Dec 20, 2017

University teaches white employees how to overcome the ‘discomfort’ of being white  . . . "to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers."
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Student suspended for debating Islamic extremism with Muslim peer in debate club  . . . "A Missouri high school that suspended a student for making critical comments about Islamic extremism says he’s not allowed to appeal the finding of wrongdoing." . . .

The free speech movement of the early sixties might sound good these days, but it had more in common with today's SJW's than one might hope.

Prof: Trigger warnings 'serious threats' to teaching English  . . . "In a list of six possible consequences of trigger warnings, he argues that they “foster a culture where student fragility is promoted over the development of resilience,” and can “encourage students to avoid intense literary moments that they may perceive as too powerful.”
"Trigger warnings could also “handicap English teachers by censoring or casting certain literary moments as taboo,” and cripple “artistic freedom by arbitrarily sanctioning what is and what is not appropriate for class discussion and student experience,” he notes." . . .

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First the statues, now the trees. 

Parents pull kids from class as Ivanka Trump visits CT school  "Some" parents; no word in this on how many. If it were just two, the press would have made big news out of the matter. From the comments: 
So sorry that these hateful parents are modeling their bad behavior and judgement to their children. Isn't the women's movement, suppose to be about respecting and honoring intelligent and successful women, no matter their political views ? Such hypocrites. 
Right or left in politics, Ivanka is an extremely intelligent articluate business woman and parents should raise their children to be respectful of all adults. I don't think "brain washing" was on Ivanka's agenda. It was disgraceful how the ultra liberal left ran the Ivanka Trump clothing line out of retails stores.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Hillary Clinton's favorability rating hits 25-year low

Political Cartoons by Henry Payne

Melissa Quinn  "The public’s image of Hillary Clinton is the worst it’s ever been since Gallup started tracking her favorability more than two decades ago, according to a new poll.

"Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, has a favorable rating of 36 percent, according to the poll from Gallup released Tuesday. Sixty-one percent of adults have an unfavorable view of Clinton, a new high.
"The current favorable rating for the former secretary of state is a new low, and the worst it’s been since 1992 when Gallup first began tracking the public’s image of Clinton just before she became first lady.
"Clinton’s previous low came at the end of August/early September during last year’s presidential campaign, when just 38 percent of adults polled had a positive image of her.
"Her favorable rating also hit 38 percent in April 1992, according to Gallup.
"During the 2016 election, about 40 percent of adults viewed Clinton positively, and though her image was better than Donald Trump’s, Gallup said her favorable ratings were among the “worst ever measured for presidential candidates.”
"In the year after the election, however, Clinton has failed to boost her public image, unlike other presidential candidates who lost, according to Gallup." . . .
Political Cartoons by Glenn McCoy

A Democratic ‘Blue Wave’ In 2018? Not So Fast

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Tony Branco
The Federalist   "A string of recent GOP defeats suggest a 'blue wave' in next year's midterms. It's a nice theory, but Democrats simply aren't up to the task."

. . . "But the main problem with the blue wave theory of 2018 is that it asks too much of the Democratic Party, which is riven by as much division and confusion as the GOP is, if not more. As Ed O’Keefe and Dave Weigel reported recently in The Washington Post, Democrats “can’t agree on what the party stands for. From immigration to banking reform to taxes to sexual harassment, many in the party say it does not have a unified message to spread around the country.”
"The left-wing base of the Democratic Party seems content to go out and run on a promise to impeach the president on some grounds or other, even as centrist Democratic candidates that don’t toe the Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren line on everything from health care to Wall Street regulations are left to fend for themselves. What’s worse, they have no economic message. (Remember the Democrats’ “Better Deal” rollout back in July? Sort of had to do with the economy? Me neither.) 
"Anti-Trump Sentiment Won’t Be Enough For Democrats"
"Democrats might do well next year in certain swing states and districts, but they won’t sweep Republicans out of power simply by being against Trump — especially since Trump, despite his inveterate tweeting, actually has some legitimate accomplishmentsto point to at the end of his first year in office. If they want to win in deep-red states next year, Democrats will have to offer a positive vision for the country. There’s no sign so far they have one to offer." . . .

Obama's obstruction of Hezbollah drug-trafficking investigation to not offend Iran

The following posts are following up on the Politico story by Josh Meyer: The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook

By David French at National Review: How Obama Appeased Iran by Turning a Blind Eye to Hezbollah’s Crimes  . . . "It all seems so quaint now. When Obama pulled back, our enemies surged. When he gave them an inch, they took a mile. There was no good-faith response, only the gleeful exploitation of newfound strategic advantage. When Obama finally re-engaged, American force was able to stop our enemies’ advance. But by then, the damage was done, and we’re still learning the extent of it today. We already knew that Obama gave Iran piles of cash, prisoners, an immense economic stimulus, and access to international arms markets in exchange for signing the nuclear deal. We now know — thanks to Politico — that the administration’s mercies extended even to Iran’s vicious terrorist allies.

"And for what? Obama’s defenders cling to the hope that Iran’s nuclear program has been delayed (a hope that relies a great deal on trusting Iran, which has never proven wise in the past), but in the meantime we’ve merely strengthened our enemy." . . .  Keep reading.

Now, this is presidential obstruction


(At the time of this posting we find nothing about this on NBC, nor CBSABC.)


. . . "The message the task force received was that their work could not interfere with a diplomatic charm offensive directed at Iran and Russia. By the time Trump took office, US efforts to stop Hezbollah had been derailed. Worse than that, as it became clear that Obama had zero leverage in the negotiations, there was little he wouldn’t do to keep the ayatollahs happy.
"In order to win the release of US citizens being held hostage by Tehran after the nuclear deal had been concluded, the United States was no longer just turning a blind eye to Hezbollah transferring criminal profits there. In 2016, Obama sent $400 million packed onto wooden pallets as part of a ransom payment to Iran of unfrozen assets." . . .
Hezbollah, narco-terrorism, and the Awans  "Yesterday, Scott called attention to the blockbuster story in Politico about how President Obama derailed a law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. Obama did so because he was desperate to secure a nuclear deal with Iran.
"I agree with Scott that the Politico story is well worth reading in full, despite its length. The report is, as Scott says, “incredibly rich.”
"I want to call attention to one small potential nugget. Part I of the story is called “A global threat emerges.” It is subtitled “How Hezbollah turned to trafficking cocaine and laundering money through used cars to finance its expansion.”
"The “used cars” reference made me think of a post I wrote about the Awan scandal. This scandal, readers may recall, involves House staffers, most notably staffers of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, with ties to Pakistan who are accused of stealing equipment from members’ offices without their knowledge and committing serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network.
"In my post, citing George Raisley of Richard Viguerie’s Conservative HQ, I wrote:" . . .

Mainstream media silence on Politico report that Obama allowed Hezbollah drug running to appease Iran

Legal Insurrection   "Meanwhile, Trump is vigorously going after Hezbollah’s criminal networks, particularly in Latin America."




"So far there is near silence from the mainstream media about the blockbuster Politico Magazine investigative report on how the Obama administration from the top down interfered with U.S. law enforcement efforts to take down Hezbollah’s drug running of cocaine into the U.S. in order to facilitate the Iran nuclear deal.


"I cannot find any mentions of the Politico story in any of the major newspapers or networks (except for Fox News). The same people who endlessly repeat shoddy reporting by other mainstream outlets when it comes to anti-Trump conspiracy theories, don’t feel the need to report on the Politico story. My hunch is that they are devoting resources to try to question the Politico story.
They don’t know what to do because this reflects so badly on the person they spent 8 years defending and covering for. Obama sacrificed Americans addicted to and dying from cocaine in order to appease Iran. That should be on the front page of every major newspaper and on every major newscast, but it’s not." . . .

Obama protected Hezbollah drug ring to avoid ‘rocking the boat’ on Iran deal: Report  "Drug Enforcement Administration team says they were tracking a $1 billion per yer drug-and-weapons ring run by Islamist terrorists, only to have the Obama administration kneecap them to avoid “rocking the boat” with Iran.

"U.S. officials told Politico for a report Monday that a 2008 task force called “Project Cassandra” was undermined by the former president as he tried to seal a nuclear deal with Iran." . . .